The 6-pod vs. Mario Kart!!!

Alright folks….we can’t get anything out of you guys ( Tara B., your efforts are an exception!!! We love your enthusiasm )…we tried to bait you with our piss poor efforts in our last blog…no dice….so back to true form…here we go, Chapter 1:
Actually we are going to take you back to day 4 in NZ, yup, we are all mixed up here and can‘t get our shit together….we were reminiscing of our previous 6-pod and forgot to tell you about ‘The Bond’ of the 6-pod. It all began at approximately 3:30 p.m. on a rainy, foggy, misty afternoon when our boredom got the best of us and took us up to a asphalt ‘track’ on the side of a mountain. ( not to forget that we had to take the slowest cable car up to the summit!) That is where ‘The Bond’ blossomed. It all stemmed from the inner desire to out-do each other. It was the day we embarked on “THE LUGE”,- bom, bom, bom!!!!! To briefly explain, like luge on ice but for us, on pavement- of course, wet pavement- we have to take it to the extreme. So, skittishly our first run of 3 was on the ‘Beginner’ track, to get a feel for the death that we so meticulously placed ourselves on. We knew this track was too elementary as a small child flew by us and gave us the stink eye…we will not be outdone. So, we thought we would up they ante… next run-intermediate! Taya & Oneil decided the new rule on this one for them was- no brakes and chasing each other down…Mel & Chelsea had to prove their manoeuvring skills to the track marshalls before entering the run- both failing, we might add!!! Briana & Brittany watching like hawks from behind, pass with precision, speed and grace. The corners were so sharp, all we could hear is one another screaming, followed by nervous laughter. So…next run….can anyone guess? ADVANCED…obviously, intermediate was too intermediate…our driving skills were proved to be impeccable! Hmm…this one was a nail biter!!!! To sum it up…Mel decided to take the off-roading track and had to do the walk of shame back to the main track, shaking sand off her trousers and her cart…of course, Chelsea being cocky…went ripping by Mel heckling her, thinking she moved up a spot because of skill…in reality---it was default. Taya riding the curb side of her cart around a corner refusing to give the number one spot to a cop screaming as Oneil rode her ass. Brittany & Briana---winners of the most ridiculous use of their helmets. Briana’s swivelled 360 degrees on her lil peanut head as she looked back in terror as Brit chased her down, meanwhile, Brit- too cool for school refused to take her baseball hat off, thinking that the visor would make her a little more aerodynamic splitting the rain as she raced through it….but boy, was the back of her head protected….No basal skull fractures here!!! Oneil felt he needed to carry on his duties and show fellow ‘lugers’ the dangers of speed and reckless luging. He rose to the top, tattered jeans, ripped sweater with blood soaking through the elbow, a tuft of hair sticking straight up…mourning the loss of his 2”x1”x5/8” flap of skin….he gave the first aiders a run for their money that day! He was the true LUGER!
So, yesterday we had an amazing day driving the west coast along the southern alps. The views and scenery are truly unexplainable and the best we have seen so far in NZ. Looking to the east- steep, mountainous ranges with snow-covered peaks covered by lingering clouds that would progress into lush, rolling hills and pasture covered with the greenist crash while cheep and cattle graze. To the west- the vast, turquoise ocean and many islands surrounded by steep cliffs and drop-offs. To top it all off, at the end of our walk, we came across a seal colony. There were loads of seals lounging on the rocks and playing in the water. Amazing!!! From there we went to a shoreline that was lined with rock formations made of layers of granite and limestone called the Pancake Rocks (just imagine pancakes stacked on top of one another). Next was to our final stop of the day, a small hostel off the highway that featured the infamous, 84 y/o, witty and hilarious true Kiwi that has served the Kiwi Experience buses for the last 20 years, 362 days a year! He cooked us up a huge feast of salads, steak, potatoes and ….bambi! Yup, had venison stew and we loved it!!!! We decided that good ole Les and Vera would get along just great, they are both quite the cards and keep anyone entertained!!! Alright, today we are in Franz Joseph… a small town of only 200 people but is highly commercialized and developed because of the main attraction that brings over 1000 visitors per day…the Franz Joseph Glacier. Tomorrow we are set to go on a 7-8 hr adventure, hiking and scaling over the ice formations and crevasses of the glacier. Wish us luck and we will post shortly. See you all soon….17 days!!!!